


We Could Leave the Christmas Lights Up 'Til February

by RobinsonsWereHere



Category: Psych (TV 2006)
Genre: Date Night Gone Wrong, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Pillow & Blanket Forts, Sickfic, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29432730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinsonsWereHere/pseuds/RobinsonsWereHere
Summary: Juliet is all ready for a Valentine's date with Shawn, but he's a little under the weather...
Relationships: Juliet O'Hara/Shawn Spencer
Comments: 12
Kudos: 18





	We Could Leave the Christmas Lights Up 'Til February

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! Since I haven't been writing much psych lately, I wanted to make sure I got a ncie, shules-y valentine's fic out this year 💗

Juliet drives to Shawn’s house around six-thirty on Valentine’s Day. As far as she knows, he’s going to take them both to dinner on his motorcycle, but she needs to drop her overnight bag at his place first. Unfortunately, she does have work tomorrow, so even if she’s going to spend tonight celebrating the holiday with Shawn, she still needs to be prepared. She can’t exactly show up to the station in one of his shirts she’d pulled on just to make breakfast.

She has a key by now, so she lets herself in, knocking gently regardless. “Hey, Shawn,” she calls. “I’m here to drop my stuff off. Are you getting ready?”

Her first clue that something has gone awry is that the place is silent; normally, when Shawn’s getting ready for date night, he plays some high-energy 80s album off his record player. And even when he doesn’t, he’s always making some sort of noise. Juliet’s brow furrows as she moves further into the apartment. “Shawn?”

The pile of pillows and blankets on the living room floor obscures anyone or anything that might be under it, but it still seems like a good place to check. Sure enough, when she pulls back some blankets and kicks aside a pillow or two, her boyfriend blinks sleepily up at her. She smiles. “So that’s where all the pillows went.” Whatever has led to this might very well end up postponing their Valentine’s date, so she folds herself into a cross-legged position, getting on his level. “Mind if I join you?”

Shawn smiles, his face scrunching as he blinks himself awake. Something in his gaze is unfocused, and his eyes seem glassy. “Jules… you’re early…”

She checks her watch. “Am I? It’s six-thirty, and I think we have a seven-o-clock reservation…”

“What!?” Shawn pushes himself to his elbows hastily. “Ugh, wow… my head hurts…”

Juliet frowns as she watches him, taking in the flush of his cheeks and the sheen of sweat over his forehead. “Shawn…” She threads her fingers into his hair, kissing his cheek and then pressing her forehead against his. Heat radiates from his skin. “Shawn, I think you have a fever.”

“What? No…” Shawn whines, pulling away a bit. “I can’t be sick, it’s Valentine’s Day.”

She cocks her head. “When did you lie down in this pillow fort?”

“Well, I started trying to build it around three, ‘cause I was kinda wiped, and thought it might be more fun than napping on the couch. And around three-fifteen I just sort of… passed out.”

She folds her arms. “So you’ve been sleeping for three hours, you’re flushed _and_ clammy, and you feel like you’re running a fever. I hate to break it to you, babe, but I think you’re sick.”

Her boyfriend pouts. “Talk about bad timing…”

Juliet cards her hands through his hair, humming sympathetically. “Well, February _is_ in the middle of flu season.”

“I’m sorry to ruin date night, Jules,” Shawn sighs, curling up with his head in her lap.

“What do you mean, ‘ruin’?” She smiles. “I’ve got an overnight bag already. I’ll hang out here and try to help you feel better. It’ll still be Valentine’s Day with just the two of us.”

“What about a fancy dinner, though?”

“You already left that giant box of chocolates on my desk this morning,” she reminds him. “That’s more than enough for me.”

He grins. “I didn’t even let Gus touch them.”

“Oh, that’s how I know this is real.” Juliet presses a kiss to his cheek. “Let’s get you into bed.”

“Aw, but Jules…”

She raises an eyebrow. “You’d rather stay in this mess on the floor?”

“Well, not the floor, but, I mean…” he’s practically giving her puppy dog eyes. “Maybe if you helped, we could build an actual fort, over the couch and everything. And this is where the DVD player is…”

Juliet smiles. _Anything to make him feel better, I guess._ “Well, I can certainly try. But you’re not going to lift a finger, understand? What you need right now is rest, and…” she lights up. “Oh, I just remembered a trick my doctor mentioned for sore throats and stuff. You’re going to love this.” And she hurries to the kitchen, ignoring Shawn’s confused calls as a grinn creeps over her lips.

Sure enough, Shawn has two cartons of pineapple juice in his fridge. She pours some into a planetarium mug, and sticks it in the microwave for thirty seconds. When a quick sip confirms it’s warm but not too hot, she carries it back out to him. “Here you go, baby,” she says, pleased to see he’s gotten himself into a sitting position on the couch. “You need fluids, after all.”

Shawn’s grin practically splits his face. “You’re the best person in the history of ever.”

She squints at him, though she’s smiling. “I don’t think that’s how it goes.”

“I’ve heard it both ways,” he jokes.

While Shawn sips at his pineapple juice, Juliet sets to making the requested couch fort. She tosses a fuzzy Jurassic Park blanket over his lap before sorting out cushions and pillows. “Where do you even get all this novelty 80s stuff?”

“It’s a tenth anniversary commemorative blanket,” he answers, like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “Gus got it for me. And Jurassic Park came out in 1993, Jules, not the 80s.” He smirks. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

She tosses a throw pillow at him. “Oh, I’m so sorry for making that grievous error.”

They both descend into laughter, though Shawn’s sounds scratchier than she would like. “Remember the part where you’re supposed to be resting?” She ruffles his hair. “Less snarking, more snoozing.”

“I’m not tired,” he insists, as she drags a dining chair to sit beside the arm of the couch. “I’d much rather stare adoringly at my wonderful girlfriend who looks so amazingly strong and beautiful as she builds me my castle.”

Juliet laughs softly, fully aware that she’s blushing. “Sweet talker.”

“It’s what I do best.”

He gets a soft kiss after that, which is undeniably what he’d wanted, and Juliet can’t help but enjoy the taste of pineapple on his tongue. “I think I’ve almost got the main structure of this thing,” she says, beginning to pull blankets over her ad-hoc scaffolding. “There might not be that much space, though.”

Shawn is entirely unbothered. “I guess we’ll just have to cuddle.”

When she finishes the blankets, he opens his arms expectantly, but she only takes his mug and disappears from the room again. It takes some searching through the kitchen and his scarily full “storage closet,” but after she changes into the silky nightgown in her overnight bag-- still comfy, even if it won’t be serving its initial purpose-- she ducks back into the fort with him.

“More pineapple juice,” she says, “but let me check your temperature first.”

The thermometer reads just over a hundred. She frowns. “We’ll keep an eye on that, but you should be alright tonight.” She hands him the mug, and a plate. “Toast with nutella for you, and…” her next item is also one she’d brought with her. “Valentine’s chocolate from my loving boyfriend for me.”

Shawn smiles at her, already looking sleepy again. “I made sure to get the ones with extra creamy centers. Those are your favorite.”

“They are.” She gives him a peck on the lips, then stands up again, as best she can. “One more thing.” 

Shawn watches as she strings the colorful lights from the ceiling of the fort. They’re cast in a glimmering rainbow glow, which is a welcome change from a cave so dark they could hardly see each other. And then, Juliet tosses open one flap, giving them the perfect view of the TV. She kneels by the DVD player, selecting one that she’s not sure Shawn bought himself.

“What do you think, Jules? Should we watch Jurassic Park?” He pats his blanket.

“On Valentine’s Day?” Juliet laughs. “Oh, no. I’ve got a better idea.”

She joins him on the couch as the movie starts, Shawn chuckling at the opening titles. Juliet tucks herself close against him, not caring that he’s probably shedding flu germs. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Shawn,” she whispers, kissing his cheek.

He smiles at her with so much love in his gaze that she doesn’t care if he can’t say the words yet. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Jules.” This kiss, too, tastes like pineapple.

Juliet rests her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He wraps his arm over her, fingers idly playing with her hair.

They’re happy, cozy, and safe. Soon enough, they both drift off, to the background noise of _The Notebook._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave a comment or kudos if you want, or find me on tumblr at nurseherewards!


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